


So Why Don't You & I

by RottieWrites



Category: Trolls (Movies 2016 2020)
Genre: Barb is a useless lesbian, Chapt 2 should be up soon, F/F, Mild Cursing, Party, Pining, alcohol mention in chapter 2, barb in a suit, bc barb is butch and theres nothing you can do about it, parb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:47:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29294646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RottieWrites/pseuds/RottieWrites
Summary: Poppy likes Queen Barb. The biggest problem with that? Poppy was just about 100% sure that Queen Barb hated her.Poppy throws a party to get closer to Queen Barb while Barb works on a plan to admit her own feelings to Poppy
Relationships: Queen Barb/Queen Poppy (Trolls)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy!

Poppy was still working on listening to others more. Trying to be a good queen and a better friend. Admittedly she'd been doing great at it. Her friendships were strong as ever and Trollstopia was a success, all different genres of trolls getting along and living together in harmony. Pop, country, funk, techno, classical, and of course rock. 

Yep. Rock. The genre she'd been dwelling on for a while now. The rock trolls themselves were interesting and very different, but one hard rock troll in particular was stuck in her head like a catchy tune.

Queen Barb.

The troll who had tried to repeat the mistakes of Poppy's ancestors and destroy all but one genre of music. The troll who had very nearly succeeded in her plan. 

However, the past is the past and all was forgiven, at least in Poppy’s eyes. Queen Barb and the hard rock trolls were no longer vying for world domination and Poppy found she rather enjoyed the rock trolls' company.

Maybe a little too much when it came to Barb. The truth is she liked her.  _ A lot. _

The biggest problem with that? Poppy was just about 100% sure that Queen Barb hated her.

Things were looking up right after Barb's world tour. She seemed to be excited at the prospect of being Poppy's friend and about having a girl group with her and Carol. However it only got worse from there. All the troll kings and queens gathered to discuss peace and relations and it seemed like each time they met Barb grew more and more distant from Poppy.

At first Barb would stutter every once in a while, or trip over her words. Poppy only noticed because it was so odd for the usually cool and confident queen of rock.

Then it got worse, it happened more often. Barb would try to speak and just end up growling in frustration by the end of it, face and ears red with what Poppy could only assume was anger. She also avoided being alone with Poppy at all costs and had even started to avoid talking with her, shutting down most unnecessary conversations quickly.

Barb wasn’t the most friendly with anyone, even the other leaders, but at least she could stand to talk to them.

Poppy thought for  _ hours _ about what she could've possibly done to earn Barb's ire. Had she hugged too hard or too much? Had she been too clingy? Was Barb just still bitter about Poppy's opposition and trying to distance herself? That one was unlikely but it still crossed her mind.

Poppy just wanted to be closer to Barb but she wasn't making it easy, many other trolls would've given up completely at this point but Poppy still tried, even if Barb hated her maybe there was still a chance her feelings would be returned someday, even if it was simply friendship. Barb could certainly use a close friend. Most trolls had forgiven Barb but were still hesitant when it came to the queen of rock. Plus, despite what Barb said and how she acted, Poppy could tell in the few moments that Barb let her guard down that she was lonely, even though she was the one who tried to keep others at an arm's length away.

The question was how was she going to start getting closer to Barb? How was she going to help get Barb closer to everyone else?

Then it came to her.

Poppy jumped to her feet and immediately ran out of her house to look for Branch. Luckily it was short work as he was talking to a techno troll after his morning swim. 

"Hey Branch!" She walked up to him excitedly, "Sorry to interrupt." 

Branch smiled at her, "Don't worry, we were just finishing up." Branch waved at the techno troll as they went their separate ways, Poppy and Branch walking side by side "What's up, Poppy?"

"Well… I'm going to throw a huge party and I need your help!"

"Poppy, you know I like your parties but we have parties all the time, why do you need my help?"

"Because!" Poppy faced Branch and gestured wildly, "This is going to be different! One of the biggest, best parties ever thrown! It'll be half formal, half casual, all fun! And it'll be for every troll, not just those in Trollstopia and Pop Village! We'll invite everyone and if all goes according to plan all the leaders will be there and perform too! This party has to be perfect!"

"Are you sure this is really achievable? It's going to be a massive party which means lots of different trolls to feed and entertain."

"Trust me, Branch, together we can do this! We have to try!”

“So can I ask why we’re doing this all of a sudden?”

“Well, pfft, you know.” Poppy laughed nervously, “Just to help everyone come together and be friends!”

“Uh huh,” Branch looked at Poppy, obviously not buying it, “And it has nothing to do with Queen Barb?”

“Nooooo--” 

Branch gave her an unamused look and Poppy broke.

“Okay fine, it does! How could you tell?”

“Well it’s not like you talk about her after every meeting, ‘oh Barb did this’ or ‘Barb said that’ or ‘I wish I was closer to Barb,’ maybe it’s best that we just let things happen naturally. Barb tried to destroy all our music and trolls aren’t just going to let that go because of one party.”

“Maybe you’re right, but we could at least try!” Poppy left out that at the very least her and Barb’s connection could grow stronger.

Branch sighed, “I don’t think it’s going to make a difference but I’ll help, Poppy.”

“Yay! Thank you, Branch!” Poppy pulled him in for a hug.

When she pulled back she didn’t notice the blush on Branch’s cheeks and the tips of his ears. 

“Sure, no problem.” he said quickly.

  
  


A few days later, Barb was sitting in her room, bored, mind consumed by thoughts about a certain pink pop troll. Maybe she should send her a letter, ask to hang out.

A cruel little voice in her head didn’t like that,  _ ‘What, so you can make a fool of yourself like you do at the conferences? Yeah right. Cause Poppy would definitely want to be with a pathetic rock troll who can’t even talk to her.’ _

Barb groaned. The little voice was right. It always was. Better to sit in a pit of self-loathing than make a fool of herself even more. How would she even begin telling Poppy how she felt about her anyway?

She started lazily playing her guitar, eventually playing the tune of Paint It Black. She started singing along slowly.

“I look inside myself and see my heart is black. I see my red door, I must have it painted black. Maybe then I’ll fade away and not have to face the facts. It’s not easy facing up when your whole world is--”

A knock at her door interrupted her. She groaned, dropping her guitar to the side and getting up to open the door. 

Riff stood there, a letter in hand, “Mail for you, Your Rockness.”

She muttered a thanks and opened the letter with her teeth.

“Dear Queen Barb,” she read out loud, “I am hosting a party for all trolls here at Pop Village and Trollstopia in two weeks. All kings, queens, and their subjects are invited and I would love to have you perform and show off your genre of music. Please RSVP soon and dress formally. Love, Queen Poppy.”

“Wow,” Riff said, “Are you going? I definitely would, it would mean you get to see Queen Poppy again.” 

Barb scowled, “What are you trying to say, Riff? I am  _ not  _ going to this thing.”

“Well,” Riff put his hands together, “I’m just saying I think she likes you, and admitting your feelings to someone in a big performance is very romantic.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Barb’s frown deepened but her heart beat nervously.

“I don’t know, just thought I would put that out there, Your Rockness.” Riff shrugged but his lips pulled into a smile.

“Whatever,” Barb scoffed, “Not going.” She shut the door before Riff could get another word out.

The rest of the day she couldn’t get Riff’s word’s or the invitation out of her head. Maybe she  _ could  _ use this to her advantage, to be more well liked, or to admit her feelings to Poppy. Before her mind could tell her differently she wrote out her RSVP, stating that yes, she would be there, and yes, she would perform. 

After Barb sent the letter, the weight of what she had done washed over her.

“Oh shit.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alcohol mention

Over the next two weeks, Barb thought about what song to sing and practiced relentlessly, like her life depended on it, partially because she felt her life did, in fact, depend on getting this right. Despite what the cruel thoughts said she couldn’t back out now, she was committed, and she was going to go through with it even if she died immediately afterwards of shame and embarrassment. She couldn’t back out now, even if she thought it wouldn’t exactly disappoint Poppy (because why would Poppy care if she was there or not?) she wouldn’t go back on her word to the pop queen. 

To Barb’s surprise Riff visited her a few times during the weeks to check in on her. It almost felt like they were friends, though she was closest to Riff out of all her subjects she couldn’t imagine that he’d want to  _ actually  _ be her friend. 

Yet there he was

“So, what are you gonna wear?” Riff asked one night.

“Well,” Barb thought for a moment before going over to her closet, “I think I have one of dad’s old suits in here some-- Aha!” She pulled out the simple black suit and put the jacket on.

Riff almost laughed, the jacket was  _ huge _ on her and had a few faded spots.

“It looks… nice… But I think you need something smaller and newer. Maybe talk to the royal seamstress about getting one made for you.” 

“Eh… I wouldn’t want to bother her.”

Riff did laugh this time, “That’s her job!”

After some more prodding Barb ended up sending her request to the seamstress, secretly excited to have her own suit made. 

  
  


Finally the day of the party came and Barb’s suit was delivered by Riff just in time. She put it on and looked at herself in the mirror. She had to admit, she looked pretty sharp in the red jacket and pants, her black tie left untied over her white collared shirt. There was just one thing she wanted to do. Barb rolled up the sleeves of her suit and undershirt and took another look. It made the outfit a little more her and she liked it.

Barb turned to Debbie, “What do you think my little fuzzball?”

The bat just hissed happily

“Yeah, I like it too!”

  
  


When she stepped out of her room she got a thumbs up from Riff who had a collared shirt and black vest on for the party.

They left for Pop Village with a fairly large group of other rock trolls and by the time they got there other trolls from different kingdoms had already arrived or were arriving.

Barb didn’t worry about them though, her mind was focused on one troll. She found Poppy greeting all the arriving trolls and steeled her nerves. 

“Hey popsqueak.” That got Poppy’s attention. 

The pop troll’s face brightened and Barb’s heart skipped a beat. “Barb! I’m so glad you’re here!” Poppy pulled her into a hug and Barb’s brain short circuited.

“Y-yeah well, yknow, f-free party, rock trolls like-- uh…” Barb’s face grew redder and redder, “I’ll just let you, yeah, bye!” Barb walked away, leaving a frowning, confused Poppy in her wake.

Well that went great.

For the rest of the party Barb avoided Poppy and stayed with Riff, ignoring him when he asked her what happened. She wanted to drown her sorrows in the thankfully alcoholic punch but Riff only let her have one cup, the spoil sport. Still, it calmed her nerves just a bit.

To her relief there was also food that wasn't just pure sugar, there were spicy dishes for rock trolls in particular, but no meat, not that Barb expected any from the vegetarian pop trolls.

Eventually the leaders started their performances and Barb was found by a pop troll who lead her to the stage she’d be performing on. She’d go last, after King Trollex and the techno trolls. Riff came with her and though Barb didn’t say it she was thankful for the company.

The last notes of techno faded away and Barb was hit with the reality of the situation.

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh  _ shit. _ ” Barb breathed heavily, “Dude I can’t do this.” 

Riff shook her by the shoulders to snap her out of it, “Yes you can, you’re the queen of rock, you can do this, you can tell her how you feel!”

“How do you--” 

“You really aren’t subtle, Your Rockness.” Riff laughed, “Now go, you made a commitment.”

Barb’s anxiety was still heightened but when the announcer introduced her she walked onto the stage with false confidence, guitar in hand. It was time.

Barb gripped her pick tightly and played, stepping up to the microphone as the first notes of For Those About to Rock drifted through the air. Barb’s anxiety was all but forgotten as she lost herself in her music, she played the final notes, sung the final lyrics. When she stopped the crowd cheered and her confidence skyrocketed as she started playing Enter Sandman next.

Again the crowd cheered her on as she played, and damn did it feel good.

  
  


Poppy watched in awe as Barb lost herself in her music. The rock queen appeared so confident and handsome as she switched between peacefully closing her eyes and seeming to maintain eye contact with the whole crowd while playing loudly. She moved and danced around the stage, as energetic as the music she played. Poppy’s heart beat quickly and her face grew warm.

Suddenly Branch broke through the crowd, bumping into Poppy.

“Branch!”

“Hey Poppy, this is going well isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I mean i haven’t seen Barb much but she seems to be having a good time on stage.”

Poppy turned to Branch as the last notes of Enter Sandman were played and grabbed each of his hands, “Thank you so much for your help with all this, I really appreciate it.”

“No problem Poppy, I--”

A passing troll bumped into Branch, pushing him closer to Poppy, Their foreheads now touching and their bodies inches apart.

  
  


“This next song is for someone special!” Barb said once the crowd quieted down, “It’s dedicated to--” Barb scanned the crowd for the queen of pop but when she found her Barb’s heart dropped. 

Poppy was holding Branch’s hands, her forehead leaning against his, far too close for Barb’s liking and certainly far too close for being ‘just friends.’

“I-- uh…” All of the rock queen’s confidence faded in just a second and her eyes started to feel wet with tears. There was only one thing to do. Barb shut her eyes and ran away, guitar in hand.

Poppy saw everything as she backed away from Branch.

“She really doesn’t look alright, I have to go help her, Branch!”

Poppy took a step and Branch grabbed her arm, “Wait! Do you really want to do this? Maybe someone else will find her, someone she’s closer to.”

“I have to Branch, even if she hates me she obviously needs  _ someone  _ right now.”

“I see the way you look at Barb, Poppy, I know you want something other than friendship from her. It’s the same way I look at you.”

Poppy hesitated, “Branch, you know I love you, but you’re my best friend.”

Branch sighed, “I know Poppy, and I want what’s best for you, I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“It’s worth the risk to me, Branch.”

Branch took a deep breath.

“Then go,” He released her arm, “Good luck, Poppy.”

Poppy pulled Branch in for a quick hug and whispered a ‘thank you’ before turning and running in the direction Barb had gone.

After a few minutes of looking, Poppy heard muffled sniffles

“Barb?”

“Go  _ away _ .” The rock troll said lowly, volcanic ash running down her face.

Poppy found the source of the voice, behind a nearby bush, and sat next to Barb, not too closely though.

“Barb, what happened, are you okay?

“Do I fucking look okay?!”

Poppy recoiled a bit, “Okay, I know that was a stupid question but I just want to help, what do you need?”

“For fuck’s sake just stop pretending to care about me!’” 

"I don't know what your problem with me is but I'm here for you, I’m not  _ pretending  _ to care, Barb!"

Barb snarled, " _ You _ are my problem with… with you! Just your whole  _ existence! _ "

Poppy's eyes watered, "Listen, I know you hate me but I promise, it'll be better if you talk about--"

"Ugh!" Barb cut her off, fingers grasping her mohawk and the buzzed sides of her head, "Don't you get it, popsqueak?” Barb laughed bitterly, “That's the problem, I don't hate you, I never hated you!"

"W-what?" Poppy sputtered.

"Poppy, I-- I just--" Barb sighed and looked at the ground, "Look dude, I've never been good at saying how I feel," she hesitated, then picked up her guitar and stood up, "so let me sing it. This song is dedicated to  _ you. _ "

Barb started slowly.

_ “Since the moment I spotted you _

_ Like walking 'round with little wings on my shoes _

_ My stomach's filled with the butterflies ooh and it's alright _

_ Bouncin' round from cloud to cloud _

_ I got the feeling like I'm never gonna come down _

_ If I said I didn't like it then you'd know I'd lied _

_ Every time I try to talk to you _

_ I get tongue-tied _

_ Turns out that everything I say to you _

_ Comes out wrong and never comes out right _

_ So I'll say 'why don't you and I get together and take on the world and be together forever _

_ Heads we will and tails we'll try again _

_ So I say why don't you and I hold each other and fly to the moon and straight on to heaven _

_ Cause without you they're never going to let me in” _

The rock queen closed her eyes, the words coming out a little easier now.

_ “When’s this fever gonna break? _

_ I think I've handled more than any man can take _

_ I'm like a love-sick puppy chasin' you around _

_ Ooh and it's alright _

_ Bouncin’ round from cloud to cloud _

_ I got the feeling like I'm never gonna come down _

_ If I said I didn't like it then you'd know I'd lied _

_ Every time I try to talk to you _

_ I get tongue-tied _

_ Turns out that everything I say to you _

_ Comes out wrong and never comes out right _

_ So I'll say 'why don't you and I get together and take on the world and be together forever _

_ Heads we will and tails we'll try again _

_ So I say why don't you and I hold each other and fly to the moon and straight on to heaven _

_ Cause without you they're never going to let me in _

_ And slowly I begin to realize this is never gonna end _

_ Right about the same time you walk by _

_ And I say 'Oh here we go again' oh” _

She played her guitar like her life depended on it.

_ “Every time I try to talk to you _

_ I get tongue-tied _

_ Turns out that everything I say to you _

_ Comes out wrong and never comes out right” _

Barb sang the chorus twice more and played the last notes of the song. Her grip on her guitar tightened as she slowly opened her eyes to gauge Poppy’s reaction.

Poppy’s mouth was open just a bit, forming an O and her eyes were wide.

“That song was… For me?” Poppy touched a hand to her chest and stood up slowly, as if she would spook Barb by moving too fast.

“Yeah…” Barb dropped her guitar and looked to the side, then down at the ground in shame, wanting to look anywhere but Poppy’s face, “I know it’s weird, and disgusting, that  _ I’m  _ weird and disgusting and you probably hate me now… But I like you Poppy, I like you so much that I can’t take it.” Barb squeezed her eyes shut, “And if you want nothing to do with me, I get it and you’ll only have to see me at the conferences and--”

Barb’s eyes shot open as she felt a warm, soft touch on her cheek, “P-Poppy?”

Said pop troll cradled Barb’s cheek in one hand as the other made its way to her tie, grabbing both ends and using it to pull Barb close.

Poppy's lips touched her own and Barb froze, wide eyed.

All too soon it was over and Poppy leaned back, searching Barb’s face for a reaction other than shock. She suddenly grew sheepish, “I’m sorry was that not good? I should’ve asked first, I’m--”

“No, no--” Barb placed her hands on Poppy’s shoulders, “That was good, I- I really liked it, you just surprised me.” She looked to the ground, a blush on her face, “Maybe we could do it again? If you want to?”

Poppy smiled, “I’d love to.”

Their lips met again, Barb reciprocating this time which they each silently agreed made it so much better. 

They were both grinning when they separated.

“So,” Barb started, “You… like me back?”

Poppy laughed, “Barb, I  _ just  _ kissed you,  _ twice.” _

“Hey I just wanna be sure! Especially since I’m gonna ask you out on a date.”

“I would  _ love  _ to go on a date with the great queen of rock.” Poppy kissed Barb’s cheek and watched her face turn into an impossibly wide grin.

Barb’s hands found Poppy’s and they each leaned in for one more kiss.

It was the start of something new and exciting, something beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! Hope you liked the story  
> Comments are appreciated <3

**Author's Note:**

> Chapt 2 is almost done and should be up soon
> 
> If you enjoyed comments and kudos are very much appreciated!


End file.
